Always Something
by PinkPolkaDots59
Summary: MoJo high school fic...it's my first so please read and review.
1. A New Beginning

Chapter One: A New Beginning

Joanne walked through the huge metal front door of her new school, Scarsdale High. A fresh start at a different school was exactly what she needed. No one knew her here. She could be whoever she wanted to be in this place. No one was whispering behind her back or making rude comments to her face. Maybe she could actually make a few friends at this school.

She stared down at her schedule, and then looked around the hallway. Her first class was supposed to start in five minutes and she had no idea where it was located. She watched a few kids disappear around a corner leaving the hall she was standing in empty. _So much for asking for help_. Folding up her schedule, she decided to start walking in a random direction with the hope of finding someone who could show her to her first class. Before she could even take a step, the front door banged open revealing a girl with curly brown hair and too-red lipstick dragging a tall African-American guy behind her.

"Come on, Collins, we're going to be late! I knew I shouldn't have let you get high before coming to school." She pulled him deeper into the school, huffing and puffing the whole time. "Collins!" She threw her arms up exasperatedly.

"Mo, calm down. You just need to chill-ax!"

The girl laughed. "Chill-ax? Collins- -"

"Excuse me?" Joanne felt this was as a good a time as any to interrupt.

Maureen looked over at the girl who had spoken. She had dark skin and short curly brown hair and was a few inches shorter than Maureen. She was thin with a nice figure, shown off by her jean shorts and tight baby doll tee-shirt. "Yeah?"

"Who are you?" Collins asked.

"I'm Joanne. I just moved here. I was wondering if you could show me where English room 404 is. I really don't want to be late on my first day."

"That's where I'm going! I'm Maureen, by the way, and this is my friend Collins," She gestured to the tall boy who was now slumping down the faded gray lockers, "We'll walk to English together. Bye Collins! Have fun in detention!" She laughed as she looped her arm through Joanne's and pulled her along to their first period class. The bell rang just as they made it through the door.

"C'mon, let's sit over there," Maureen led her to two empty desks in the corner of the room next to a huge window.

The teacher stood in front of the class and began the lesson. Joanne tried to pay attention, but Maureen kept bouncing in her seat and humming quietly to herself. Joanne took this time to get a better look at her new, dare she say it, friend. Maureen had very prominent features. Her cheekbones were well defined and her nose was long. Her eyes were a vibrant green and sparkled with the light. Finally Joanne's gaze landed on her rather large mouth. Those too-red lips were perfect in every way. They were full and nicely shaped and she wondered momentarily if they were as soft as they looked. Maureen's eyes met Joanne's and she flashed her a toothy grin, showing off her straight white teeth. Joanne blushed slightly at being caught staring, but smiled back. To Joanne, Maureen was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Mentally, Joanne berated herself. She wouldn't let herself get a crush on Maureen. So far Maureen was her only friend, and she didn't want to ruin her chance at finally having a close friend. She turned her attention back to the teacher.

Maureen was already bored. She hated school, always had. It wasn't that she was stupid; she was actually very smart. She was just lazy. She glanced at Joanne out of the corner of her eye and flashed her a big smile when she caught her staring. Maureen loved attention of any sort, and she was flattered to be getting it from a girl as pretty as Joanne.

As the teacher droned on, Maureen turned to Joanne. "Where did you live before you moved here?" She whispered.

Joanne's eyes moved from Maureen's face to the teacher's. "Chicago," She whispered back.

"Chicago! I've always wanted to go there!" Her voice began to rise with each word as she got more excited. The teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, an older woman with graying hair, turned in their direction.

"Ms. Johnson, it's so great to have you in class again." Her statement was blatantly sarcastic.

"Yeah! For the third year in a row!" Maureen said cheerfully.

"Wonderful. Anyway please stop talking and pay attention." She turned back to the rest of the class.

"Bitch gave me like a gazillion detentions last year," Maureen muttered under her breathe to Joanne. She let out a small laugh and Maureen smiled in response. "Let me see your class schedule." Back to her not-so-whispered whispers. Joanne pulled her schedule out from her pocked and handed it over. "We have fifth period and seventh together! We can go to lunch together!"

"Ms. Johnson, you wouldn't want a detention on the first day of school, would you?" Maureen's attention shifted from the schedule to focus on Mrs. Jenkins.

"No, Ma'am." She replied.

"Okay, then be quiet." Mrs. Jenkins overemphasized each word.

Joanne finally thought she'd be able to concentrate on Mrs. Jenkins after Maureen had been yelled at twice, but it didn't even faze her.

"Were you planning on doing any extra-curriculars?"

"Well, I was thinking about joining the debate team and the mock trial team."

"Bo-ring. I'm president of the drama club! It's the only school organization I'll take part in." She laughed, like that was some kind of private joke for her.

"Ms. Johnson! Last warning. Next time I have to tell you to be quiet you will get a detention."

Maureen pretended to seal her lips and throw away the key. She smirked at Joanne. Shortly after Maureen's last scolding, the bell rang, so the girls gathered their stuff and headed out the door.

Pointing Joanne in the direction of her next class, Maureen waved goodbye. "I'll see you fifth period!" She shouted as the crowd of teenagers pushed her in the opposite direction.

During her second and third period classes Joanne sat alone. She listened to the teachers and took good notes. She had always been a straight 'A' student and took great pride in her schoolwork. She found herself really enjoying her third period class called 'You and the Law'. Her father was a lawyer and had always pushed her toward following in his footsteps. She was always looking for ways to make him proud, so she was very excited when she discovered this particular class. Recently she felt she had been a big disappointment to both her parents, for reasons she didn't like to think about. The whole reason they had had to move was due to her involvement in a small scandal at her previous school.

In fourth period she sat next to a girl named Alison Grey. She was surprised by how quickly Alison had begun talking to her; almost like they had always been friends. She dove right in to telling stories, mostly to do with her new boyfriend, Benny. Joanne thought she was nice enough, but this period was Calculus, and she had always had the most trouble with math. She mostly tuned Alison out and concentrated on what her teacher, Mr. Nolan, was saying. Bits and pieces of what Alison was saying did however slip through and Joanne heard, "We just started dating, really…Liked him for a long time but…His friends were total losers…Didn't want to be associated with them…"

Joanne's stomach was growling as the bell rang, signaling the start of fifth period. Joanne looked around the classroom, but didn't see Maureen anywhere. About five minutes into the lecture, Maureen came skidding in. "Sorry I'm late!" she spoke loudly to Mr. Mansfield, who Joanne had already figured out was hard of hearing. The teacher just nodded and Maureen surveyed the room, eyes landing on the empty chair next to Joanne.

"Hey," she spoke in a normal tone, eyes following Mr. Mansfield around the room. "Guy can barely hear so as long as he doesn't see your mouth moving…" She trailed off. "So how were your last two classes? Did you make anymore friends?"

Joanne sighed and put her pencil down assuming that she wouldn't be able to take too many notes while Maureen was sitting next to her. "I talked to a girl last period. Her name was Alison Grey, I think. She seemed nice."

Maureen's smile faded at the mention of Alison Grey. "No! You cannot be friends with her!" She insisted.

"Why not? I can be friends with whoever I want," Joanne didn't like when people told her what to do, and Alison seemed like a nice, friendly person.

"Oh calm down, you can be friends with her, but I'm not! Let me just say that I will go nowhere near the slut, so while you're hanging out with her, you won't be hanging out with me." Maureen harrumphed, slid down further in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. Then, Joanne experienced for the first time ever, the famous Maureen Johnson pout. "I was just looking out for you, you know," she said softly, "Alison is not a good person, she'll go behind your back so quickly you won't have time to blink."

Joanne stared at Maureen for a few seconds longer before she realized she was done talking. Her gaze was firmly set on Mr. Mansfield, showing no signs of moving back toward Joanne and continuing their conversation. Joanne turned back to Mr. Mansfield and was actually able to take notes for the class, because Maureen did not say another word. Having a silent Maureen was not as pleasing as Joanne had thought it would be earlier in the day.

When the bell rang, however, Maureen seemed back to her normal self and grinned at Joanne. "You wanna eat lunch with me and my friends?"

"Sure, thanks." Joanne replied and sent a wary smile back in the other girl's direction.

They went through the lunch line and bought some food. Maureen led Joanne to a table off in one corner of the cafeteria.

"Hey guys!" Maureen said excitedly placing her tray down on the table. "This is my new friend, Joanne." Maureen went around the table calling off everyone's names.

"You already met Collins," She pointed to the guy from that morning who was sitting on Joanne's left.

"His girlfriend, Angel" A pretty girl with a black bob haircut and a wild bright outfit waved at her with only her pinky finger.

"And that's Mimi," A small Hispanic girl with wavy brown hair smiled.

"Her boyfriend, Roger," The guy next to Mimi nodded at her, his longish blonde hair falling into his eyes.

"And this," she gestured to the skinny blonde boy with glasses sitting to Maureen's right, "is my boyfriend, Mark." He shyly smiled at Joanne and pushed his black glasses up his nose.

Joanne actually thought her heart stopped for a minute when she heard Maureen had a boyfriend. Her smile slipped slightly from her face, but she caught herself. The more she thought about it, the better it was really. Maureen was taken; maybe now the feelings that had started to develop would go away with the knowledge that it could never happen between the two.

"Hi." Joanne said nervously.

"So Collins, did you end up with a detention this morning?" Maureen asked while chomping down on some chips.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full?" Roger butted in.

"Bite me." She replied to Roger. "So?" She turned her head to Collins.

"Nope," he laughed, "I have Mrs. Peters first period, and by the time I strolled in fifteen minutes late she was already snoring." They all laughed.

"You're lucky," Mimi chimed in. "Angel and I have Mr. White first period. He kept calling Angel 'Mr. Shunard' and made her take her wig off." It was then that Joanne realized Angel was actually a boy. Her eyes widened a little; she had never seen a drag queen before.

The conversation kept up all through lunch with everyone complaining about their teachers so far. Joanne even began to feel more comfortable and joined into the conversation. She was sad when the bell rang and they all had to part ways to head off to sixth period.

Sixth period went quickly. She had Spanish and her teacher was crazy and very entertaining. Seventh period was the last class of the day and she was looking forward to seeing Maureen again. She was pleasantly surprised when she walked in and found Maureen, Mimi, and Angel all seated at a table together.

"Hey, Joanne, over here, we saved you a seat!" Mimi called as Joanne made her way over to the table.

"Hey chica, we were just discussing having a girl's night at my place this Saturday because my parents will be outta town. You wanna come?" Angel asked Joanne.

"Sure!" Joanne was ecstatic. She had never been invited to do anything before. She had only been at this school a day, but already she had made a few friends. She could already tell that this year would be different.

**A/N: So this is my first fic ever, so please R&R! Constructive criticism is welcome just don't be mean. I'm really hoping to improve my writing so if you have any tips or anything please share! Thanks for reading.**

**Next chapter will have the girl's night party and MoJo will get closer.**


	2. Hang Out Night

**A/N: Hey guys! I just want to thank GorgeousSmile for the review! I hope other people like the story, too. I would really appreciate some feedback to let me know how I'm doing and what I can do to improve. Thanks!**

Chapter Two: Hang Out Night

The first week of school went by fast for Joanne. Maureen was with her almost all the time; they had even started walking to school together. She would wait at Joanne's locker between classes just to tell her some random thought that had popped into her pretty little head. Joanne loved spending time with Maureen; she was always doing something because she hated to be bored. She couldn't be more thankful that she finally had friends and was actually happy with her life. The only problem she had was that the feelings for Maureen had not started to fade away, but in fact, had gotten stronger.

Maureen was supposed to come pick her up around five on Saturday for girl's night at Angel's. Joanne put away the book she was reading and glanced at the clock. It was already 4:30 and she hadn't even told her parents she was going out. She got up and made her way out to the living room where her father was watching TV and her mother was sewing.

She cleared her throat. "If it's okay, I was invited to a sleepover tonight and I'd really like to go."

Her parents looked at one another sharing a look.

"Are you sure that's smart, Kitten, a sleepover with all girls?" Her father questioned looking up at his daughter.

"They're my friends," Joanne insisted. "They all have boyfriends." She added as an afterthought. That made her mother smile.

"Harold, I think this might be a good idea. Maybe they'll rub off on Joanne," Her mother chimed in. Joanne looked away ashamed.

"Alright. What time will you be home tomorrow?" Her dad looked over at her.

"I'm not sure. My friend Maureen is picking me up and driving me over to Angel's house, so I guess whenever she wants to leave tomorrow."

"Okay, well have fun."

Joanne was waiting outside with all her stuff when Maureen pulled into her driveway.

"Hey, Best Friend!" Maureen greeted as Joanne jumped in the passenger seat. "I'm so psyched for tonight; it's been forever since Mimi, Angel, or I have planned a girl's night!"

"Me too! What do you guys normally do at girl's night?" Joanne questioned as Maureen sped through town.

"We always do karaoke! It's so fun; we video tape it and then watch it later. We'll probably watch some movies or something too," She replied while turning up the radio. "I love this song."

Joanne watched while Maureen started to sing and dance along to the song blaring from her speakers. It surprised her to be able to hear her best friend's voice over the booming music, but when she thought about it she realized Maureen had a huge mouth and a very loud voice.

"You're voice is really pretty," Joanne shouted over the noise.

"Thanks!" Maureen grinned and kept right on singing the lyrics.

It didn't take long to get to Angel's house. To drive anywhere in Scarsdale took less than ten minutes.

"The life of the party is here!" Maureen yelled as she barged through the front door. She looked around the empty living room and turned toward Joanne. "Where are they?"

Joanne just shrugged.

"Oh good, you guys are here," Mimi exclaimed running through the living room and into the kitchen. It was then that Joanne smelt something burning. She wrinkled her nose up.

"What's burning?" She asked following Mimi into the kitchen with Maureen right on her heels.

"Me and Angel tried to bake cookies for tonight, and while they were baking I decided to give her a makeover. We totally lost track of time and now they're burnt. Oh well."

"Pizza will be here in twenty minutes." Angel announced, joining the other three girls in the kitchen. They sat around the table to wait for their dinner. "Mimi and I rented a few movies for tonight; we decided we'd have a scary movie marathon! We got The Ring, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Sixth Sense."

Joanne's face fell. "I hate scary movies."

Maureen smiled at her, "Aw, don't worry, they're not that scary; it'll be fun!"

"Alright, but if I can't sleep tonight you're staying up with me to keep me company."

"Okay." Maureen agreed.

The girls talked awhile longer, until they heard the doorbell.

"Go work your magic, Mo." Mimi said laughing.

Maureen smirked and pulled her shirt down revealing a lot of cleavage. She skipped to the door and swung it open. "Hi!" She flashed the delivery boy a sexy smile as she reached forward to take the pizza box letting her fingers slip over his. He stuttered a "hello," back while she set the pizza down on the couch.

She pulled some bills from her pocket and "accidentally" dropped them on the floor. "Oops," She said, spinning around and bending over to retrieve the fallen money, giving the delivery boy a great view of her ass. She straightened herself up and smiled at him. "So how much do I owe you?" She questioned.

"Nothing. This one's on me," The boy said smiling back while leaning toward her slightly.

"Thanks!" Maureen replied before swiftly shutting the door in his face. She snatched the pizza from the couch and practically sprinted into the kitchen.

Doubled over with laughter, Mimi choked out, "That was amazing! I forgot how good you are at getting free stuff."

"Yeah, chica, you have a true gift." Angel piped in.

"Impressive," Joanne took a huge bite from her piece of pizza.

"Thank you!" Maureen said giving a slight bow.

After the pizza was gone, all four girls sat rubbing their stuffed bellies. Mimi was muttering under her breath that she shouldn't have eaten so much, while Maureen was rooting through Angel's fridge.

"I really wish you two hadn't burnt those cookies; I'm totally craving one now," Maureen shut the refrigerator and began going through the cupboards. "Do you have any popcorn for when we watch movies?"

"Yeah," Angel said standing up, "Let's pop some now and then start a movie."

"What about karaoke, though?" Maureen asked.

"I don't feel like karaoke tonight. It's already dark enough outside and I haven't seen The Ring or Texas Chainsaw Massacre yet, so I really want to just start the movie marathon." Angel replied as she placed the popcorn in the microwave and set the timer for three minutes.

"Okay, but then we absolutely have to do it next time! Joanne and I will go get blankets and get the movie set up. Which one do you want to watch first?" Maureen pulled Joanne out of the kitchen.

"I vote for The Ring! It's so freaky!" Mimi hollered to the two girls who were now gathering blankets from Angel's room.

Joanne and Maureen reappeared, arms filled with quilts. "The Ring it is then." Maureen flung her armful of blankets onto the couch and went to pop in the movie.

Maureen turned back toward the couch to find Joanne huddled on the left edge of the couch; a blanket already wrapped around her and pulled up over her nose. That's when Maureen realized how quiet her new friend had been all evening. "Is something wrong?" She asked, taking the seat next to Joanne and covering herself with a blanket. Her curious eyes met Joanne's fearful ones.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't do well with scary movies. I get frightened easily."

"Don't worry; Mimi, Angel, and I are here, and we're pretty tough chicks. We could beat the shit out of anything that scares you," Maureen grinned at Joanne, "Plus scary movies are loads of fun to watch with your friends. You'll see; its fun to be scared together!"

They soon began the movie after Angel and Mimi had taken their seats on the couch. Mimi held a huge bowl of buttered popcorn on her lap.

Joanne was already scared from the minute the movie began. She had one hand up to her face, her eyes peaking at the movie through her fingers. Her heart was racing, and not in a good way. At the end of the scene when the closet door is opened and it shows the dead girl's face, Joanne, Maureen, Mimi, and Angel all screamed. Maureen flung her arm out and grabbed Joanne's hand. Joanne's eyes widened as she felt Maureen's hand in her own. Her head quickly turned towards Maureen's, her heartbeat was now erratic. Maureen saw Joanne look at her and quickly dropped her hand.

"Sorry." She whispered turning her attention back to the television before Joanne could see the blush that had reddened her cheeks.

Joanne smiled a little and went back to watching the movie. Maybe Maureen was right; maybe it would be fun to get scared with your friends.

As the movie drew on, however, she decided that Maureen was definitely wrong. She was getting scared again. She looked at her friends from the corner of her eye. They seemed to be as scared as she was. Angel and Mimi were huddled together in an embrace, their eyes glued to the TV screen. Maureen had her knees pulled to her chest, half her face hiding behind her legs. When the suspenseful music started playing again Joanne squeezed her eyes shut. That's when she felt Maureen's hand seize her own again. This time she just grasped it back and kept her eyes on the TV.

Their hands stayed linked throughout the rest of the movie. Only when the credits began to roll did Maureen release her grip and let go of Joanne's hand. She faced Joanne and smiled warmly.

"See I told you scary movies weren't so bad when your with others."

"Yeah, you were right." Joanne's smile faded, however, when a loud banging began at the front door followed by the continuous ringing of the doorbell.

"Don't answer it!" The fear was evident in Joanne's voice. Mimi rolled her eyes at her wimpy friends who were clutching on to one another and shrieking. The ringing stopped, though, when she got to the door. Instead the phone began to ring.

"It's Samara!" Maureen screeched. Joanne and Angel screamed in horror.

"Oh, calm down. Maureen, you're such a drama queen." Mimi said as she picked up the phone. "Hello?" She waited a second. "Hello?" The other three girls shot each other terrified looks. "Roger, what the hell?" She looked at the other girls, "It's the guys; they're outside."

"Tell them that it's girl's night!" Angel exclaimed.

"I know it's girl's night, but I'm scared. We could use our men to protect us while we watch the other movies." Mimi reasoned.

"Okay, let them in." Angel gave in, excited at the thought of having Collins there to protect her.

Maureen was less than thrilled. She was having fun without Mark, and now she would feel bad for Joanne, who would feel like a third wheel to all the couples.

Mark took the now empty seat on Maureen's right and put his arm around her kissing her hello.

During the next movie, everyone was spread out. Roger and Mimi were cuddled together on a recliner, Angel and Collins occupied the loveseat, and Joanne, Maureen, and Mark were taking up the couch.

Joanne was starting to feel miserable because now she felt like she was the only one actually paying attention to the movie, and therefore the only one who was getting scared. Mimi and Roger were making out. Collins and Angel were off in their own little world. Mark was attempting to make out with Maureen, but she kept pushing him away.

"What is your problem?" Mark asked getting a little annoyed.

"What? I'm trying to watch a movie," Maureen kept her tone even. The truth was that Mark was quickly pissing her off.

"Why don't you want to make out?"

"I'm not in the mood! I just want to watch the freaking movie!" Maureen said getting defensive, her voice rising in volume. _Why did he have to show up? This was supposed to be girl's night for crying out loud!_ Maureen didn't want to make out in front of Joanne. She just wanted Mark to leave so she could hold Joanne's hand again.

"Whatever." Mark put his arm around her instead and pulled her close. A few minutes later Maureen sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. About ten minutes later Mark was trying to make out with her again. She couldn't believe it; she was beyond pissed.

"I said no, Mark. I don't feel like making out right now, God!" She got up and moved to sit on the floor.

"Whatever." Mark said sounding a little hurt. "You guys ready to go?" He had, after all, driven them there.

"Yeah, man." Collins said kissing Angel goodbye while Roger did the same with Mimi.

The girl's all moved back to their previous seats on the couch to finish their scary movie marathon.

"Maureen?" Joanne asked when the movies had ended. "Will you stay up with me and talk for a little bit so I can get the scary movies out of my head?"

"I promised I would, didn't I?" Maureen smiled, climbing into her sleeping bag which was situated next to Joanne's in the middle of the living room floor. "So what do you want to talk about?" She whispered her eyes darting to Mimi and Angel who had fallen asleep on the couch during the final movie.

"I don't care. Anything to take my mind off the movies we just watched." Her voice was desperate.

"What time do your parents want you home tomorrow?" Maureen questioned.

"Whenever you need to be home is okay by me."

"I'll probably stay here again tomorrow night. My parents don't even realize I'm not home. They don't really care what I do." Maureen shrugged trying not to show how much her parent's lack of involvement upset her.

"You're lucky." Joanne said quietly. "My parents get involved in everything in my life. It's really annoying."

"At least you know they care." They were both quiet for a few minutes, not really sure what to say.

"What happened between you and Mark tonight?" Joanne finally asked. She waited a moment, but when Maureen didn't respond she apologized. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be nosy; you don't have to tell me."

"No, its okay. He wanted to make out and I didn't want to. I was trying to watch the movie and also I…" She paused, and then her eyes met Joanne's, "I didn't want you to feel awkward or anything. It's not fun to watch scary movies by yourself and Mimi and Roger were already going at it and Angel and Collins were off in La La Land so…" She trailed off.

"Thanks," Joanne said through a yawn. Her eyes started to droop. "Thanks for staying up and talking to me, but I'm getting tired now." She yawned again.

"Goodnight, Joanne." Maureen whispered, closing her own eyes.

"Goodnight," Joanne muttered sleepily.

**Please Review!**


	3. Have You Heard?

"I know, I'm sorry," Joanne awoke the next morning to the sound of Maureen's obnoxiously loud voice. "Love you more, Pookie." There was a pause and Joanne took that time to pry her eyes open. Her chocolate brown orbs came to focus on the back of Maureen's frizzy head of hair. "Yeah, I'll see you tonight. Bye."

Maureen hung up the phone and spun around; smiling when she noticed Joanne was awake. "Morning!" She chirped happily.

Joanne managed a groggy smile back in Maureen's direction. "Morning," she grunted. "You're very perky this morning."

"Well I've already had two cups of coffee on this fine day that you chose to sleep through."

"What time _is_ it?" Joanne asked, just now noticing all the light shining through the living room window; she squinted her eyes against it.

"It's almost noon. Angel and Mimi ran out to get some lunch."

"Wow, I never sleep past eight! I can't believe it's almost twelve." Maureen just shrugged her shoulders.

"I sleep that late every chance I get!" She laughed.

There was a small lull in the conversation as the two girls just stared at each other. Joanne sat up and rubbed her eyes with her fists attempting to rub the sleep from them. She yawned and looked up at Angel and Mimi, who had just burst through the front door carrying two bags of McDonalds.

"Chica, you're finally up!" Angel sat down next to Joanne on the floor and handed her a cheeseburger.

Mimi sat on the other side of Angel, next to Maureen. "So did you and Mark make up yet?"

"Yeah, we both apologized and we're going out to dinner tonight," She smiled, taking an enormous bite from her cheeseburger.

The rest of the weekend was dull for Joanne, who spent most of her time doing homework. She was actually looking forward to classes on Monday, if only because it would give her something to do.

Joanne sat in English alone Monday morning. Maureen had called her before school letting her know she was running late and wouldn't be able to walk to school together.

Maureen arrived to class about twenty minutes late; handing a protesting Mrs. Jenkins a late pass from the office. She didn't crack a smile or say a thing as she slumped down into her seat next to Joanne.

Joanne stared at her curiously for a minute before elbowing her in the side. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Maureen didn't look up at her as she mumbled a response about Mark's new camera. Joanne didn't really understand, but she decided to give Maureen some space and just leave her alone.

Throughout the rest of the day Joanne noticed that everyone seemed to be excited about something. People were whispering animatedly between classes. Even Maureen had cheered up considerably when Joanne saw her in fifth period.

"What's going on? Why's everyone so excited?" Joanne asked the now beaming Maureen.

"Paul Miller's throwing a huge party Friday night! It'll be the first one of the school year. His house is _so_ big. We'll have so much fun." Maureen's eyes twinkled as she smiled at Joanne.

"We?"

"Yes, we. Come on, Joanne, you have to go! I won't have any fun without you. Please." Maureen pouted.

Joanne just laughed, "Of course I'll go. I have nothing better to do anyway."

At lunch Maureen and Mark sat at opposite ends of the table.

"What is going on with you two?" Mimi asked looking back and forth between the two.

"Oh nothing," Maureen started bitterly, "Mark just cancelled on me for our make-up dinner last night and when we did hang out yesterday, all he did was play with his damn camera."

Mark just shrugged his shoulders. "I told her I'd take her out next weekend; I really wanted to learn how to work this thing." He held up the camera.

Maureen rolled her eyes.

"So are you guys going to Paul's this weekend?" Mimi asked before Maureen could respond to Mark and cause an all out war between the two.

"Joanne and I are!" Maureen's previously sour face turned to one of pure excitement. "I can't wait; it will be awesome!"

"Me and Angel are going, too," Collins said, wrapping his arm around Angel's shoulders.

"I'm dragging Roger there," Mimi said with a small laugh, "He only agreed to go because there will be plenty of alcohol there."

"Yeah, we are gonna get shitfaced!" Roger smirked.

"Well, I guess if all you guys are going then I'll go, too." Mark said.

Maureen shot him a death glare, "Oh, you won't be too busy reading the instruction manual for your camera?"

The rest of the week flew by, with everyone bursting from excitement about the party on Friday. Practically the whole senior class would be there, and the majority of the junior class as well.

At eight-thirty on Friday night, Maureen picked Joanne up, and the two sped off to the party. She parked on the side of the street, amongst all the other cars. Maureen hopped out and started to make her way up the driveway. About halfway to the house, Maureen realized Joanne hadn't followed her.

"Joanne, come on!" Maureen yanked the door to the passenger side of the car open.

"I'm a little nervous…I've never been to a party before." Joanne met Maureen's eyes.

"Don't worry about it; it'll be fun, I promise. Come on!" She grabbed Joanne's hand and pulled her toward the house.

The house was huge and already packed with people. "Let's go find the drinks," Maureen suggested still pulling Joanne behind her.

"Okay," Joanne responded, taking it all in.

The kitchen was a little less crowded, and Joanne found that she could move without bumping into people. Maureen let go of her hand and handed her a beer.

Joanne followed Maureen's example and popped the tab, taking a huge gulp. Scrunching her face up in disgust, she managed to swallow. "How do you drink this stuff? It's gross."

"You get used to it." Maureen replied with a small laugh. "Let's look around, see if the rest of the gang is here."

She took Joanne's hand once more and led her though the living room. There, music was blasting and people were dancing.

"We should come back and dance later." Maureen said taking another swig of her beer.

"I don't dance." Joanne replied, surveying the dancing teens.

"Well then I'll teach you." She smiled and finished off her drink. "I'm gonna go get another one," She held up her empty can, "You want one?"

"No, thanks," Joanne glanced at her almost completely full can, "I'm good."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Maureen disappeared into the crowd.

Joanne sat on a small sofa, watching her drunken classmates dance like idiots, and sipped from her beer. Some guy she'd seen around school sidled up to her and sat down so close to her their legs were flush against one another's.

She scooted away a little, trying to remember his name. _Tyler something?_

"Hey, I'm Tyler." _Yep._ "You look so sexy tonight." He slurred in her ear sliding his hand up from her knee.

Joanne looked around the room in a panic. She saw Maureen enter back in through the kitchen, and jumped up. "Sorry, my friend's waiting for me." She mumbled practically running through the crowd toward Maureen.

"Let's go upstairs. I heard some people talking about some drinking games up there."

"Okay." _Anything to get away from that Tyler kid._

Once upstairs, Maureen and Joanne found the rest of the gang minus Mark playing some drinking game with cards. They quickly joined in, taking seats across from each other.

They played a few games for about an hour, getting them all good and drunk. Joanne took this opportunity to stare openly at Maureen, who looked especially gorgeous tonight, all dressed up for the party.

"Joanne! What are you staring at?" Maureen questioned loudly starting to lean to one side.

"You look really pretty tonight," Joanne answered honestly._Why did I just say that out loud?_

Maureen blushed, while the rest of the gang burst into giggles.

Maureen half crawled, half dragged herself over to Joanne. "Do you want to go dance now?" She whispered.

"Sure." Joanne responded, her eyelids drooping a little. "But you'll have to show me because I don't know how, remember?"

"Okay!" Maureen jumped up, using the wall to steady herself, and helped Joanne to her feet.

They slowly made their way downstairs, laughing at each other the entire time.

Maureen pulled Joanne out to the make-shift dance floor. She lifted her arms in the air and started shaking her hips along to the music. Joanne tried to imitate her movements, feeling stupid.

Joanne looked around to make sure no one was staring at her unfortunate dance moves. Her heart leapt when she felt Maureen grasp her hips. "Loosen up a little." She yelled into Joanne's ear over the music. Maureen started to move Joanne's hips for her, in rhythm to the music and her own swinging hips.

Maureen was so close Joanne could feel her breath on her face and her swaying hips brushing against her own. It became too much for Joanne to handle.

"I'm gonna go get another drink," Joanne yelled over the music.

"Kay," Maureen said dropping her hands from Joanne's hips and continued to move to the beat.

Joanne let out a huge breath as she entered the kitchen and began rooting through the fridge. She found a water bottle in the back, and downed almost half of it in one gulp.

She sighed, feeling a little better, all the emotions she was feeling starting to sober her up.

She spun around when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I saw you shaking your ass out there. Damn, it was sexy." _Tyler._

Joanne started to back up away from him, but he grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her toward him.

"I was thinking we could go upstairs and find an empty room and have some fun of our own."

"No." Joanne said pulling her wrist free. She tried to walk away, but he quickly grabbed her around the waist and jerked her body against his. He leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head away.

"Stop it," She said trying to push away from him.

"Why don't you want to make out with me? Do you already have a boyfriend?" When Joanne showed no reaction, he went on, "Are you like a lesbian or something?" He laughed, but when Joanne froze and her eyes got as big as saucers he knew he had hit the nail right on the head. "You are, aren't you?"

He dragged her into the living room and turned down the music much to everyone's protest.

"I have an announcement!" He yelled, gaining everyone's attention while Joanne still struggled to get free. "New girl's a lesbian!"

The whole room erupted into laughter and Joanne finally broke free. Her face was the color of ripe tomatoes as she fled from the house, tears welling up in her eyes.

_This can't be happening_. She looked around, realizing she had no clue how to get back home and settled on sitting on the ground by Maureen's car, her back to a tire.

Maureen watched as Joanne fled from the house, mortified in front of practically the whole class. It only took her a moment to follow behind her best friend, finding her sobbing by the car.

She sat down next to her, wrapping her arms around Joanne's petit body. "Shhh." She soothed rubbing her hands up and down Joanne's back and arms.

Once Joanne had calmed, Maureen lifted her face up and wiped the remaining tears from Joanne's cheeks.

"Don't worry, Jo, it's just a rumor. In a week or two everyone will forget all about it, because they'll move on to something else."

"It's not just a rumor." Joanne said quietly, but clearly. She was tired of hiding who she was.

"It…It's not?" Maureen asked, slightly taken aback.

"No, it's the truth. Do you hate me now?" Joanne asked, a few more tears slipping out.

"Joanne! Of course I don't."

"But I'm a lesbian. I'm disgusting."

"Joanne, no you're not. I don't know who told you that, but it's not true. And if you forgot two of my best friends are gay." She smiled, brushing Joanne's hair back from her eyes. "It took a little while, but people accept them. I'm sure they'll accept you, too, just give them all time to get used to it."

"I won't have to. I'll probably be moving soon. I'm such an embarrassment; when my parents hear that this got out, we'll move again. The same thing happened in Chicago. I'm a huge disappointment."

Maureen was furious. She didn't know how Joanne's parents could say those things to her. She was so smart, and funny, and pretty. She didn't know how her parents weren't proud of her.

"Come on," Maureen said, helping Joanne up, "Do you want to stay at my place tonight? That way your parents won't see you so upset."

"Yeah, thanks." Joanne climbed in. The car ride to Maureen's house was in silence.

**A/N: Sorry it took me forever to write this! I just moved out and started my first year of college so things have been busy. I think I know exactly where I want to take this, so hopefully updates will be more frequent. I hope you all enjoy and please review!**


	4. It's a Date!

Chapter 4 It's a Date

When they got to Maureen's house, Joanne had stopped crying and was now sitting silently, staring out the window. She had been quiet for the whole drive there, and Maureen was worried about her friend.

"Come on, Joanne," she said walking around to the passenger's side and opening the door for her. Joanne sat there, frozen, not even looking at the brunette. Maureen reached over and unbuckled Joanne's seatbelt and grabbed her hand. "Let's go inside." Joanne moved slowly, being pulled along by Maureen.

Maureen dug through her dresser once they reached her room to find more comfortable clothes for both girls to wear.

"Here you can wear this," Maureen handed Joanne some shorts and a tank top. While Joanne was changing in the bathroom, Maureen changed in her room. Her mind wandered to this new information about her best friend. This changed things. Maureen had always known that she was attracted to both girls and guys; she just hadn't known she was attracted to Joanne until tonight. But after finding out Joanne was into girls, Maureen couldn't get the thought of them together out of her head.

When Joanne re-entered the room, she had a tear running down her face. "I'm really going to miss you, Maureen. You and the others are the only real friends I've ever had."

"What are you talking about, miss me? I will always be here for you, Joanne. You don't have to worry about that."

"I mean when I move. As soon as my parents find out people know, we'll pack up and leave again. I just know it."

Maureen lightly grasped Joanne's arm and pulled her toward the bed. "Let's lay down and get comfortable, then we can talk."

Joanne climbed under the covers saying, "Are you sure you're okay with this? Sharing a bed with a _lesbian_?" She spit the word out like venom. Maureen climbed in beside her and pulled her into her arms. She rubbed Joanne's back comfortingly. Joanne's heart fluttered and her eyes flickered close.

"I already told you I'm okay with it. I really love having you as my friend. I don't care that you like other girls. Now why are you convinced you're going to have to move?"

Joanne pulled back slightly from Maureen so she could look at her beautiful face, without pulling completely out of Maureen's arms.

"Something similar to this happened in Chicago. It was the reason we moved here."

"What happened?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now," Joanne sighed and then yawned, "Can I tell you about it some other time? I'm really tired."

"Of course." Maureen pulled Joanne to her once again and rubbed her back soothingly.

Joanne's pulse quickened, so she tried to think of something other than Maureen's body pressed against her own and Maureen's hands caressing her back, the hands that were causing goose bumps to rise on her arms.

"Are you cold?" Maureen muttered, barely above a whisper and a fraction of an inch from Joanne's ear. Joanne shivered as Maureen's breath tickled the patch of skin right below her earlobe. She simply nodded, but regretted it instantly when Maureen pulled away from her to fetch a blanket. She was back in a matter of seconds wrapping them both up in the warm quilt and placing her arms once again around her friend.

Joanne was asleep a few minutes later, exhausted from everything that had gone on earlier that night. Maureen, however, found sleep much harder to come by. With Joanne so close, her mind was racing. Maureen studied Joanne'sl face, while her hand took on a life of its own and slipped under the back of the tank top Joanne was wearing. Her fingers glided over silk-smooth skin. Maureen's eyes were drawn to Joanne's lips, which were pouting slightly in her sleep. If she just leaned in a little closer… But Joanne just thought of her as a friend, she told herself. Her best friend. Maureen pulled her hand out of Joanne's shirt. She couldn't do this. Joanne needed her right now, and Maureen was going to be a good friend to Joanne and help her get through this.

--

Monday at school wasn't as bad as Joanne thought it would be. There were a few whispers and stares, but it was no where near as bad as how people reacted at her old school.

"Joey!" Maureen tackled Joanne in a hug.

"Hey, Maureen." Joanne looked over her friend's shoulder and acknowledged her other friends. "Hey, guys."

Mark and Collins waved while Maureen dragged Joanne to an empty corner of the hallway.

"So how are you doing, Jo? What did your parents say?" Maureen questioned, lightly pushing a stray curl behind Joanne's ear.

"I'm actually doing really well. It's not as bad as I was expecting. I mean, sure, some people whisper when I walk by, but no one's actually said anything mean to me, and my parents don't know yet. I guess they don't talk to anyone who would know."

"That's great!" Maureen pulled her into another bone-crushing hug. "I told you everything would work out!"

"Yeah, you did."

--

As the day went on, however, Joanne was doubting whether things really would work out. Even though people weren't necessarily mean to her face, things were different. Not as many people talked to her, and no one wanted to be her partner for group work.

When Joanne entered her fourth period Calculus class, her normal seat next to Alison was occupied. Joanne didn't really think anything of it, and just walked by to an empty desk in the corner.

"Hey, Alison, how was your weekend?" She asked as she passed by.

Alison, however, completely blew her off, refusing to look at her. Instead, she turned to girl seated at Joanne's old desk and struck up conversation with her. Joanne stood in shock for a moment, until some of her classmate's snickers brought her back. Everyone had watched the exchange and were now laughing at her.

Joanne felt embarrassed tears well up in her eyes, so she turned away quickly and sat at that empty desk in the corner.

She was happy to see Maureen's friendly face in fifth period. During class, she recounted what happened between her and Alison. Maureen, of course, was quick to take Joanne's side. "What a bitch! Don't worry, Joanne, you have us and that's all you need."

At lunch, Joanne didn't feel much like eating, so while her friends were in line for food, she sat alone at the table reading.

Her concentration was broken when she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up and her eyes met a girl she recognized from her third period class. She remembered seeing her the first day and thinking how stunningly beautiful she was. Long brown hair, striking blue eyes, and milky white skin on a perfect, athletic figure, Joanne had quickly banished thoughts of this girl when she realized that this girl was way out of her league.

"Hi, Joanne?" The girl said shyly, her clear blue eyes kept meeting Joanne's own chocolate orbs.

"Yes?"

"Um… You probably don't know who I am. I'm Jill; we have third period together?"

"I know who you are," Joanne replied smiling at how nervous Jill looked.

"Oh. Well, great!" She smiled back gaining more confidence. "Well I was just wondering if you were free this weekend?"

"What?!" Joanne's eyes widened in shock. _Was she really being asked out?! _"Oh, um, I mean… I am free…this weekend."

"Okay, great! Would you maybe want to have dinner and see a movie with me Saturday night?"

"Sure, that sounds great!" Joanne couldn't wipe the smile off her face if she wanted to. "Um, here's my cell number. Call or text me with the details." Joanne said, quickly writing her number down on a napkin.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later," Jill said, as Joanne's friends started to arrive filling the table.

"Okay, bye."

"What was that all about?" Maureen questioned, sitting down next to Joanne.

Joanne turned to Maureen, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I have a date on Saturday night!"

Sorry for the really long wait. I'm going to continue this now that I have time to write! Next chapter should be up next week! Please Review! Thanks!


	5. Together

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's great to know that people are enjoying my story! Please continue to review :)

Chapter 5 Together

"So what about this?" Joanne asked, coming out of the bathroom wearing jeans and a very low cut top.

"I'm sure it's fine, just like the other five outfits you've put on already," Maureen replied from her spot on Joanne's bed, not even lifting her eyes from the issue of _Cosmo_ she was currently flipping through.

"Well 'fine' isn't good enough. Come on, you didn't even look."

Maureen sighed and closed the magazine. Her eyes trailed up Joanne's body, starting at her shoes and ending at her top. Joanne shifted self-consciously under Maureen's gaze. When her eyes finally met Joanne's, they were wide with shock.

"You _cannot_ wear that!"

"What? Why?" Joanne crossed her arms over her chest to try and hide some of her exposed cleavage.

"That top is way too revealing! You're gonna look like you're asking for it." Maureen grabbed an old ratty tee-shirt from Joanne's bedroom floor and started shoving her back towards the bathroom. "Put this on."

"No! I can't wear that on my date. Maureen, are you serious?"

"Well you definitely can't wear that either," Maureen said gesturing to the shirt Joanne had on.

"Why not?" Joanne put her hands on her hips looking at Maureen expectantly.

"It's not you. Look, you're not even comfortable in it," Maureen said looking pointedly at Joanne's arms which she had just crossed over her chest again. "Jill already likes you for who you are. You don't have to dress like somebody else to get her attention. She asked you out didn't she?"

"Well, yeah, but I just want to look nice. I mean, Jill is _really_ pretty."

"And so are you." Maureen said, walking over to Joanne's normally organized closet, which was now a pig sty after hours of rooting around trying to find the perfect outfit for her date tonight.

Joanne blushed and looked down at her bare feet, glad that Maureen was facing away from her and wouldn't see her cheeks redden.

"Here, what about this?" Maureen held up a pretty black top. "We could put this white camisole under it…" Maureen bent over to dig around in the pile of clothes, giving Joanne a chance to stare at her ass until she triumphantly turned around holding up the white undershirt.

"Go put it on!" Maureen said, slapping her ass as she walked by her toward the bathroom. Joanne jumped and yelped as Maureen giggled and went back to the bed to continue flipping through _Cosmo_.

When Joanne came out, she looked much more relaxed and comfortable and definitely hot. Maureen had to make a conscious effort to shut her gaping mouth and force her eyes up to Joanne's face instead of the curves shown off by the outfit.

Joanne threw the old top on the bed next to Maureen and said, "Well?"

"You look hot. Maybe you should wear that ratty old tee-shirt. Jill won't be able to take her eyes off you." Maureen hoped it was only Jill's eyes that would be on Joanne. It _was_ only the first date.

Joanne laughed and playfully slapped Maureen on the arm. Maureen grabbed the hand Joanne used to slap her and pulled her into a hug.

Burying her head in the space where Joanne's neck met shoulder, Maureen mumbled something Joanne couldn't quite hear. The vibrations from Maureen's voice and her hot breath tickling Joanne's neck sent a tingle down her spine and she tightened her hold on her best friend. "What did you say?" She questioned.

"Don't get mad," Maureen said turning her head a little so what she said wouldn't be muffled, "but I just want you to be careful tonight. I don't know Jill at all, and I didn't know she liked girls. I don't want you to think that I think someone like her wouldn't like you, because that's not what I'm saying at all. I just want you to be careful. Jill hangs out with Alison who was a total bitch to you and I don't want you to get hurt if this doesn't work out."

Maureen hoped she was getting her point across without hurting Joanne's feelings. Maureen, of course, thought Joanne was amazing, but she was worried Jill was playing some horrible prank on her. Maureen's personal opinion was that Jill was bitch, especially since she was friends with Alison.

However, a small part of Maureen hoped this was all some prank. Maureen kept telling herself it was a _very_ small part of her. She didn't want to see Joanne hurt, but if things happened to turn out that way and Jill really didn't like Joanne, then Maureen could come riding in on her white horse and save the day, so to speak. As the days went on Maureen found herself more and more attracted to Joanne, and it was hard for Maureen to see Joanne so excited about hanging out with someone else.

"I'll be careful," Joanne promised pulling away from Maureen, "but I'm going to give her a chance." She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and said, "I have to finish getting ready; Jill will be here soon. Can I call you tonight when I get home to tell you how it went?"

"Duh! If you didn't call me I would be so pissed, Jo." She turned to grab her things from Joanne's bed. "By the way, I am so taking this top." She held up the rejected top from the bed and stuffed it in her bag.

"What? I thought you said it was too revealing!"

"For _you_! It will look perfect on me!" She gave Joanne a quick hug then rushed for the door. She certainly didn't want to still be here when Jill showed up. "Bye Joey! Have fun. And don't forget to call me!"

"Bye Mo, and thanks for helping me pick an outfit."

Maureen just smiled and then she was gone.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Yes, Joanne?" Joanne's parents looked up from their spots at the kitchen table where they were in the middle of dinner.

"I'm going out to dinner and a movie with my friend Jill tonight."

Her parents shot each other a look and then her dad spoke up. "Kitten, we made dinner here tonight and wanted to eat together as a family."

Joanne knew this would happen so she had plan B all ready in her head. "Oh, okay, but I was so excited to meet Jill's boyfriend and his friend Brad. We were all meeting up as, like, a double date."

Joanne's parents gave each other another look before smiling.

"Well if that's the case," Her mother spoke up, "Then just be home at a reasonable hour, okay, Joanne?"

"Okay, I will. Thanks Mom, Dad." She heard a car pulling into the driveway as she gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "Bye."

Maureen's eyes opened blearily as the buzzing next to her head grew louder. She must have fallen asleep on the couch while watching T.V. She grabbed the remote and turned the volume down real low, glancing around her dark, empty house. Her parents were off again on some business trip or a vacation in Switzerland or somewhere and Maureen was left to her own devices.

She sat up and glanced at the clock which blinked in eerie red: 12:05.

"Jo?" She questioned into the phone after checking the caller I.D.

"Oh my God, Maureen, I had the most incredible time tonight!" As Joanne continued to babble on about her date, Maureen felt her heart sink into her stomach. She had never really had her heart broken, but she was pretty sure this was how it felt. "…and we're going out again next weekend!"

Maureen cut in before Joanne could say anything else. "That's great, Jo." She tried to sound happy for her friend, but she wasn't so sure she pulled it off.

"Maureen, what's wro-…Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just tired." She spoke fast - too fast. On the other end of the line, Joanne's forehead wrinkled with confusion and worry.

"Oh, okay. Are you sure?" Maureen could hear the change in Joanne's voice. How it went from extremely thrilled to extremely worried in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Maureen sighed as she felt the tears form in her eyes at Joanne's concern.

"Okay." Joanne paused, debating whether she should push the issue or just let it go. "Goodnight."

Over the next few weeks, Joanne and Jill became an actual couple. They were together all the time, which made Maureen moody all the time. Maureen's depression did not go over well with the rest of the gang, who were quickly getting tired of Maureen's attitude.

Maureen rarely got to spend time alone with Joanne, because now when they would hang out Jill would usually tag along.

They were all at lunch one day, without Jill for once, because she had a Student Council meeting, and Maureen was enjoying the return to normalcy. She could flirt with Joanne under the guise of just being friendly, without worrying about Jill getting the wrong (or right) idea.

About halfway through lunch, Jill came rushing over the table with a huge smile on her face. She gave Joanne a quick hug before taking the empty seat next to her. Even though most of the school knew the girls were dating each other, they didn't like to show a lot of affection in front of anyone except their small group of friends.

Maureen's smile quickly turned to a frown as Jill sat at the table, but even Maureen's fowl mood couldn't last at the news Jill brought with her.

"We just got done making plans for the Halloween Dance! It's going to be so much fun; the theme is 'Monster Mash'. Cliché, I know, but we're going to decorate the gym and it's going to be awesome!"

The reactions at the table were varied from Mimi and Angel's squeals of excitement to Roger declaring that "there was no way in hell he'd be there."

Maureen was sure that Mimi would weasel him into going. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she listened to Jill discuss the decorations and all the little details of the dance. She was already starting to imagine getting to dance with Joanne; maybe even to more than one song.

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate any constructive criticism, because I'm trying to improve my writing. Next chapter things will get more exciting and it will contain some drama ;) Oh and you'll get some more MoJo action!


	6. Just Dance

**A/N: Hi, I'm back! So it's been about a year and there's nothing I can say except that I'm so sorry I haven't updated! There's really no excuse, but now I'm back and I have the next few chapters written and the rest of the story planned out. I've changed a few minor things in Chapter 3 and also the dance mentioned in Chapter 5 has been changed to be a Halloween dance, because I feel it fits the timeline better. Anyway, this chapter is extra long, and I think you guys will like it. I hope it makes up a bit for the long wait!**

***There is some cussing in this chapter, just a warning.**

Chapter 6: Just Dance

It was on a Monday that tickets for the Halloween Dance went on sale. At lunch, the line was half the length of the cafeteria. The school had been buzzing with excitement since three weeks prior when the dance had been announced. It was the first dance of the year, and students were scrambling for dates, trying to find unique Halloween costumes, and making last minute plans.

"I don't get it," Roger was saying as he studied the squealing girls in line for dance tickets, "I mean, why spend all that money and time to get ready for one dance that will only last one night?"

Mimi elbowed him in the ribs. "Because it's fun!" She sighed. "I got my costume a few weeks ago, because I knew Roger wouldn't coordinate outfits with me."

"Damn right, I won't. I'm going as a rocker and wearing my regular clothes. There's no point in spending money for a lame-ass costume."

Mimi rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the other girls, "Are we all meeting before the dance to get ready together?"

"Yeah!" Joanne said. "Jill, Maureen, and I already got our costumes, too."

And what an experience that was. Maureen had been excited to find a costume to wear, but once the girls were shopping, she quickly learned that the costume would have to be approved by the other two girls, which put a damper on her spirits. Maureen was moping, while Joanne and Jill were trying on different costumes, until her eyes landed possessively on a leather cat suit.

Maureen rushed into a dressing room to try her new find on. Looking in the mirror, she knew she liked it but was not completely sure of the outfit. "Hey, guys, I found something. Tell me what you think," She called, opening up her dressing room door.

The look on Joanne's face when she exited the dressing room to model the suit for her two companions was all she needed to help her decide that this was _the_ outfit. Maureen's lips upturned into a sultry smile as she sashayed over to the other two girls and giggled, twirling her hair around her finger. "So, what do you think?"

Joanne's stuttered answer of "Yunh," while her mouth hung slightly opened and her eyes skimmed Maureen's body appreciatively in the skin tight suit was a much better answer for Maureen than Jill's adoring praise for the outfit. She was glad that Jill liked it too, though, because Jill knew fashion, and Maureen knew that when shopping with Jill, everything you wanted to buy had to be approved by the self-proclaimed "fashion expert".

When they all had finished eating, the group decided to brave the line for tickets which had died down considerably throughout the lunch period. Roger bought a couple's ticket for Mimi and himself, which was twenty dollars as opposed to buying two single's tickets which were fifteen dollars each.

Joanne and Jill were going to go in even and each pay ten dollars of the couple's ticket. However, Alison, who was selling the tickets, was going to make this a problem.

"Couple's tickets are male/female couples only. You both will have to buy single's tickets." She said snootily.

Joanne just shrugged and looked at Jill. She was not going to make this into a big thing. "Okay, whatever."

"No!" Maureen butted in. "That's not fair. You know they're a couple; just let them buy a damn couple's ticket!" Maureen's face was red with anger and her voice had gotten considerably loud.

Joanne blushed with embarrassment, quickly grabbing Maureen's arm and pulling her off to the side. She glanced around noticing that a few of the nearer tables had started to stare. "Maureen, please don't make this a big deal. I don't want to cause a scene. I don't have a problem with buying a single's ticket."

"No, Joanne. It's not fair! You guys are just as much a couple as Mimi and Roger are!...I know! In my history class we're learning about the protests and sit-ins and all that during the Vietnam War. I could so write a protest about this for tomorrow's lunch. Then they'll have to let you buy them."

"NO!" Joanne looked alarmed. "Come on, Maureen. I don't want people to talk about this. My parents still don't know and I don't want to give them any reason to want to move again. I like it here."

Maureen slowly relented, "Okay, you're right. Well that sucks."

"Hey, guys," Mark said coming over, "We got it all figured out. Angel will be Jill's 'date' and Collins will be Joanne's."

"Alright. Tell them we'll pay them back for the tickets."

"Well, I guess that works. Just let me know if you change your mind about the protest; I'll write it anyway just in case."

Joanne smiled at Maureen's loyalty. She truly was a great friend who was willing to do anything for Joanne. "Thank you, Maureen." Joanne said, giving Maureen a quick hug.

The girls all met up at Maureen's house on the day of the dance to get ready. They took lots of pictures and Maureen had a hard time keeping her hands to herself in these pictures. Joanne looked so pretty, in her classy princess costume, and Maureen found herself constantly touching her in every picture they took together, whether it was wrapping an arm around her slim waist or pressing their cheeks together or rubbing her hand up Joanne's bare arm.

Maureen wasn't the only one feeling affected in this way. Jill was also all over Joanne, whispering in her ear, linking their fingers together, giving Joanne quick pecks on the lips; it was making Maureen feel sick. Even though the two girls had been going out for a month and a half, Maureen still didn't like Jill. She couldn't help feeling that one of these days, Jill would hurt her best friend.

The dance was held in the gymnasium of the high school, which was decorated in tons of various Halloween decorations from skeletons, to witches, to fall leaves and hay stacks. The group entered together, with Mimi practically having to drag a protesting Roger inside, and found an empty table to set their things. The dance was already in full swing, with slutty nurses, policewomen, and construction workers all out on the dance floor having a great time.

"Come on, Joanne, let's dance!" Jill exclaimed, wasting absolutely no time in dragging her girlfriend into the crowd of teenagers. Mimi managed to convince Roger to join them (he really was wrapped around her little finger), and soon after Collins and Angel also joined the dancers. That left Maureen and Mark, who had come as each other's dates, even though they still weren't on the greatest terms.

"What do you say, Mo? Dance with me?" Mark asked, and Maureen couldn't refuse, because the way he said it was so adorably uncertain and sweet, so the brunette nodded her ascent. They found the rest of their friends dancing together, and they all danced a few songs, really having a good time, even Roger would admit it.

Until, of course, the first dreaded slow song came over the speakers. Well, at least it was dreaded by Maureen, everyone else looked rather pleased to have an excuse to dance closer and slower to their dates. Maureen let Mark pull her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder to keep an eye on Jill and Joanne, who, by the way, were dancing a little too close than Maureen would have liked.

She stared daggers at the back of Jill's head, while she watched Jill's hands trace patterns along Joanne's back. She couldn't help thinking that that should be her, not Jill, dancing with Joanne, holding her close, kissing her softly as the song ended. Her heart dropped as she watched all of this happen before her eyes, and the hardest part of all was that Joanne looked like she was enjoying it. She hadn't spared Maureen a fleeting glance all night.

When the dance ended, Maureen claimed a need for water and went to go get a hold of herself in the ladies' room. When she exited, she found Joanne waiting for her.

"Hey, Maureen."

"Hey. Why aren't you out there dancing?" Maureen asked, stepping closer to the darker girl.

"I was looking for you. Jill wanted to dance with a few of her friends, so I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to dance with me for awhile?" Joanne looked hopefully at her friend.

Maureen's heart sped up. _Hell yeah I want to dance with you! I've wanted to be close to you all night. _"Sure." Joanne grinned happily that Maureen had said yes, and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the dance floor.

However, as soon as they reached the dancers, the song changed from the upbeat group dance to another slow dance.

Joanne looked shyly at Maureen, "Do you want to dance anyway?" Maureen couldn't form words and just nodded. This seemed too good to be true.

Joanne pulled her close, snaking her arms loosely around Maureen's waist, while Maureen's wrapped around Joanne's neck.

Joanne was sure Maureen could feel her beating heart, and she tried to calm it by taking deep breaths. She couldn't believe they were dancing so close, with Maureen's hands tickling the skin at the back of her neck, and her own gripping Maureen's hips, pulling her closer. She felt Maureen's breath on her ear and then realized Maureen was singing along to the song, in a whisper, for only Joanne to hear, "I don't know how you do what you do, I'm so in love with you; it just keeps getting better. I want to spend the rest of my life, with you by my side, forever and ever. Every little thing that you do, baby I'm amazed by you."

Maureen felt Joanne shiver, and hoped that maybe she was able to get her point across. They continued dancing with Maureen singing softly in her ear, trying to express everything she'd been feeling lately. As the song ended, the girls pulled away slightly, but holding eye contact. Joanne looked a little confused, and maybe hopeful? Maureen wasn't sure, and didn't have time to find out, because suddenly Jill was back and Joanne wasn't in her arms anymore.

Joanne danced the next song with Jill, while Maureen danced with Mark. _What am I doing? I'm with Jill. I can't be having these feelings for my best friend, especially when she surely doesn't feel them for me. I need to stop reading so much into things that Maureen does and focus on Jill. Maureen doesn't realize what she does affects me so much; I just need to try to ignore it._

Joanne was determined to put the dance she shared with Maureen out of her mind for the rest of the night and have a good time with Jill. She couldn't help notice that Maureen wasn't looking like herself, and wondered briefly if maybe the dance had affected her as well.

The Halloween Dance was nearly over, and had gone on with very little drama, so Joanne should have been expecting something to happen; things in her life were never this easy and drama-free. So really, she shouldn't have been surprised to see Tyler making his way over to her group of friends.

"Get away from her, you dirty dyke," Tyler said, roughly grabbing Joanne's arm and pulling her away from Jill. "Just because you're into other girls, doesn't mean you can go around turning the straight girls around here into lesbians."

"Tyler! Get off of her!" Jill cried, trying to push Tyler away. Everyone could smell that he reeked of alcohol.

"Is this why you wouldn't date me, Jill? You would rather go out with another _girl_, than with me? You're both disgusting and you don't belong here!" He had started to make a scene, and people close to them were looking on to see what would happen next.

"Let's just leave," Joanne said, rubbing her arm.

"Yeah, get out of here you fuckin' dyke." Tyler said, pushing Joanne toward the door.

Maureen had heard and seen enough. She marched forward and shoved Tyler's chest. "Keep your fuckin' hands off her, dick. Where do you get off pushing around a girl?"

"Ohhh looks like I've angered the little kitty-cat now." Tyler sneered, "You're dressed as a cat, Maureen. Does that mean you like pussy, too?"

"How would you like all your friends see you get your ass beat by a girl in a cat suit?" Maureen asked, lunging at him, and was able to land a few good punches to his face, but take one hard hit to her own before Collins intervened and pulled her off him.

"Come on, we have to go before the teachers make their way over." Collins said, leading the gang to the doors. Maureen pulled her arm out of Collins' grasp and went to Joanne.

"Are you okay?" Maureen asked, voice full of concern. Joanne just nodded, still in shock at the events that had just took place. "Come on, we have to go before any teachers come, kids are already starting to crowd around Tyler." Maureen noticed Jill, also standing in shock, tears falling down her cheeks, "Jill, come on, we have to leave now."

Luckily it didn't take anything else to get Joanne and Jill to follow Maureen outside, to the waiting cars.

"Mo, are you okay?" Mark asked touching Maureen's already bruising eye. He was confused as to why Maureen would get into a fight like that over Joanne, but he still cared for the girl, even if they weren't officially a couple anymore, and didn't want to see her hurt.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Maureen said, pulling away from Mark's hand, "I'll take Joanne and Jill home, if you'll take everyone else?"

"Sure," Mark said, wanting to ask Maureen why she had done it, but decided it wasn't the best time.

No one spoke on the ride home; the only sound was from Jill sniffling as she quietly cried. Maureen pulled into her house first, and Jill tried to compose herself in case her parents were still up.

"I'm so sorry, Joanne. I'm so sorry he said those things to you." Jill apologized, toughing Joanne lightly on the arm.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Joanne said stiffly, and Jill could tell that even though it wasn't Jill's fault, the comments had still hurt her.

"I'll call you? Tomorrow?" Joanne nodded, and Jill gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Bye, Maureen."

Maureen pulled back out on the road, and Joanne sighed. She really didn't want to go home tonight. She was a complete jumble of emotions; her night had started great, and the dance with Maureen had been the highlight of her whole night, but then Tyler had to ruin her perfect night. She felt tears sting her eyes. Why could nothing ever be perfect for her?

"Maureen?" She said quietly, hoping not to let Maureen know she had been crying.

"Hmm?" Her friend responded quietly, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Can I stay at your house tonight? I don't want to be alone tonight, and I don't want to see my parents, either."

Maureen, who had also been lost in her thoughts, finally turned to Joanne and gave her a soft smile. "Of course you can."

Maureen's house was dark; her parents were away again. They changed into some pajamas, then the brunette led Joanne through the house and down into the basement. "I don't know about you, but I could really use a drink right about now," Maureen said, walking over to her parents' liquor cabinet.

"Won't your parents notice if anything is missing?" Joanne asked, as Maureen made two rum and cokes.

"No. And they wouldn't care if they did notice." She handed Joanne a glass, and the two girls sat near each other on the floor.

They drank their first glasses in silence, both girls thinking over the events of the day. With her second glass half empty, Joanne finally worked up the courage to ask the question that had been burning to leave her mouth since they have left the dance, "Why'd you do it?"

At Maureen's confused and slightly intoxicated look, Joanne clarified, "Why'd you attack Tyler?"

"He pushed you! And he was saying so many mean things about you, I just lost it." Maureen explained, finishing off her second glass and pouring herself another.

"Oh." Joanne said, thinking about this answer, "But why did it bother you so much, Maureen?"

"I care about you Joanne, can't you see that?" Maureen said with so much feeling, Joanne's heart sped up, "The thought of anyone hurting you, hurts me. I couldn't just stand there and let him get away with treating you like that."

Joanne was quiet, taking it all in. _What is she saying? Does she like me like I like her, or does she just care about me as a friend? Would she get into a fight like that if it had been Mimi or Angel? Maybe she would do that for all of her friends, and I'm not anything special._

"But you got hurt," Joanne said, scooting herself closer to Maureen and gently caressing Maureen's black eye, "And you might get in trouble at school. I would never want you to get in trouble over me. I'm used to this kind of stuff."

"Joanne, listen to me," Maureen said fiercely, turning fully toward Joanne, "You were worth it, okay? No one should ever have to get used to being treated that way, it's not right." Maureen shifted even closer, leaving the space between the two girls almost nonexistent, "Especially not someone who is as kind, and funny, and beautiful as you are," Maureen finished in a whisper, her face drawing closer to Joanne's with each word, her hand coming up to rest lightly on Joanne's cheek.

Joanne inhaled through her nose at Maureen's statement and close proximity, her eyes moving in a continuous cycle from Maureen's vibrant green eyes, to her full, red lips, and then back to her eyes again. They were so close Joanne could feel Maureen's breath on her mouth and she gulped in anticipation, knowing Maureen was going to kiss her.

She had been wanting this, waiting for this, since the first day she had walked into Scarsdale High and made friends with this gorgeous person.

"Maureen," Joanne whispered, desperately needing to feel Maureen against her, kissing her, caressing her.

Joanne watched with bated breath as Maureen's eyes finally fluttered closed, and the gap between their lips disappeared.

Joanne couldn't help the gasp that escaped at the feel of Maureen's lips pressed firmly against her own. Maureen fused their mouths together, waiting for a response from Joanne. Joanne deepened the kiss, opening her mouth for Maureen, and tangling her fingers into Maureen's wild curls. Maureen plunged her tongue into Joanne's warm mouth, and felt Joanne tug on her head, pulling them flush against one another while their tongues caressed and explored.

One of Maureen's hands was resting on the small of Joanne's back, under her top, while the other was at Joanne's shoulder, gently urging her down onto her back with Maureen laying comfortably on top of her. Joanne kept one hand in Maureen's hair, while the other traveled down her back and over her ass. The action caused Maureen to moan into her mouth and bite down lightly on Joanne's lower lip. Joanne whimpered, and Maureen soothed the bite by sucking the wounded lip into her mouth and running her tongue soothingly over it.

She pulled away slightly and let their breath mingle as they both struggled to control their breathing. Maureen attached her lips to Joanne's neck and sucked hard, earning a groan in her ear from Joanne. Joanne slid her hands into Maureen's cotton pajama pants and ran her nails over her ass, then gently massaged it.

Maureen froze, panting against Joanne's neck as she reveled in the feeling. Joanne pulled her face back to her lips, slipping her tongue immediately into the welcoming heat. Maureen kissed her back hard, and her hands, which were rested at Joanne's hips, slowly began to work their way up under Joanne's top. Joanne groaned at the feel of Maureen's hands on her skin, and pulled away to breathe. Maureen, turned on by Joanne's heavy breathing, returned to her neck, finding her pulse point, and began to suck, lick, and nip the area. Her knee found its way between Joanne's legs, and she slowly applied pressure to Joanne's center.

"Wait. Stop." Joanne said, pushing Maureen gently away.

"What's wrong?" Maureen asked, stilling her hands under Joanne's shirt, but not pulling away completely.

"I can't do this right now." Joanne said removing Maureen's hands from her top, "Please, Maureen. I'm with Jill. I'm dating Jill." Joanne had tried to push all thoughts of Jill aside, but it hadn't worked. Joanne couldn't stand the thought of being unfaithful, yet she had just cheated on Jill, who had been nothing but good to her.

Maureen pulled away abruptly, and backed away from Joanne. She said without emotion, "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's just go to sleep."

Joanne nodded numbly feeling tears come to her eyes, "But, Maureen –"

"We can talk about this tomorrow, I can't talk to you right now." Maureen said, finally losing her emotionless exterior when her voice broke slightly.

"Okay, okay." Joanne said softly, heart breaking at the turn of events, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Joanne."

**A/N: End of chapter 6. This took me a really long time to write, so I would really appreciate it if you guys could take a few minutes to leave a review. Re-reading all the reviews from previous chapters was a huge motivator for me to get back to writing this story, so thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and please keep leaving the wonderful comments; they make my day :)**


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